Last week I did around 8 billion google searches for recipes, and a solid million of those (give or take a few) were for pepper jelly.

I’d recently been inundated with it at restaurants — pepper jelly on fried pimiento cheese balls, pepper jelly on grilled chile cornbread, pepper jelly on fried green tomatoes — and had developed a bit of an obsession with the stuff.

My recipe search yielded tons of pepper jellies, but none were satisfactory. I was willing to experiment with the hot-sweet balance and the tang of my jelly, but I had one non-negotiable: I didn’t want the recipe to involve canning.

I’d never canned before. I didn’t know how to can. I didn’t want to learn a whole new thing in the middle of a busy week. I wasn’t sure if I had all the materials I needed. There were lots of reasons for my stubbornness. But much to my annoyance, recipe after recipe began, “Sterilize six half-pint mason jars . . . .”

Finally, still skeptical, I broke down and read about the process of preserving food. If you’ve ever done any canning yourself, you probably know what I found out:

It’s easy.

Like, super easy. You sterilize some jars (which can be as simple as running them through the dishwasher), pour a simple hot jelly mixture into them, close the lids, and then boil them to create a seal. The “equipment” you needed was limited to jars, a pair of tongs with some rubber bands on the end for gripping, and a big stock pot. Really? This was what I was afraid of?

Running smack into a wall of my own self-doubt forced me to realize that it was comprised of shoddy materials — insecurity, laziness, haste — and needed to be torn down. It also reminded me of Willow Bird Baking’s reason for being: to share life lessons and build kitchen confidence in other home cooks just like me. If I shy away from a new technique, how can I encourage my friends to charge ahead and tackle unfamiliar things?

Feeling admonished by my own website’s mission, I prepared my materials and successfully canned seven lovely jars of bright pepper jelly. Mike and I glopped it onto buttered sourdough toast by the spoonfuls at our Make-Ahead Holiday Breakfast Party on Saturday morning.

My pride in having tackled a new challenge renewed — as it always does — my dedication to the community here at Willow Bird Baking. Every comment or anecdote we share with one another encourages me when my pie crust turns to pie dust, my cake is falling over, or my brownies are lying in the floor. We’re all in this together, and the result is more than just great food. The result is great friendships.

. . . and pepper jelly.

Speaking of the bonds we’ve forged over pepper jelly and other such culinary challenges, I’ve got something to show you. I’ve waited for weeks to reveal what I’ve been working on behind the scenes: Welcome to the new Willow Bird Baking!

We have a brand new home on the web (at willowbirdbaking.com) and a clean, warm new design. Willow Bird Baking is also sporting a new, exhaustive recipe index where you can browse recipes by type, season, meal — and even by color!

This news means more to me than just a makeover. Willow Bird’s appearance finally reflects the comforting, loving, simple environment we’ve created here. The blog become a forum to share everything from family memories to laughter over our mistakes. Really, the fact that I can reveal this new chapter in Willow Bird’s life to you means the world to me. Thank you for reading.

This pepper jelly is bright, tangy, and has the perfect balance of hot and sweet. Feel free to adjust the ratio of peppers to your taste, though, so long as the overall quantity is 4 cups. The consistency is that of a thin jelly — if you like a thicker, spreadable jelly, I hear you can double the amount of pectin in the recipe. Serve this pepper jelly spooned over crackers with cream cheese or slathered on buttered toast. Oh, and don’t worry if you’ve never canned anything before; the recipe below will walk you through the process step by step.

Equipment needed:
6 or 7 (8-ounce or half-pint) canning jars
tongs (preferably with rubber bands around the ends to improve grip)
a large stockpot or canner (with room for your jars to be fully submerged with 2 inches of water above the top of the jars)
a dish towel or rack to keep the jars off the bottom of the pot

Directions:
Note: Do not adjust the amount of sugar and vinegar in canning recipes. Always use gloves when chopping jalapenos or other hot peppers and avoid touching your eyes or face. Wash your hands and surfaces immediately when finished.

Prepare ingredients: Chop the peppers by hand and then drain them in cheesecloth to remove excess moisture. Set them aside while you sterilize your jars. You can also measure out sugar and vinegar so that you’re prepared.

Sterilize your tongs and 7 (8-ounce) canning jars: Place rubber bands on the end of the tongs, which will make it easier to grip your jars. Boil the ends of the tongs for 5 minutes to sterilize them. Sterilize your jars, lids, and rings by running them through a short cycle on the dishwasher or using the oven method or boiling water method (see below). No matter which method you choose, time them to be finished when your jelly is ready (preparing the jelly takes about 15 minutes) so that you can put the hot preserves into hot jars.

Oven method: Preheat the oven to 175 degrees F. Wash the lids and jars with hot, soapy water and rinse them. Line the lids and jars up on a baking sheet (open sides up) and bake them for 25 minutes.

Stovetop method: Wash the lids and jars with hot, soapy water and rinse them. Boil the jars and lids covered with water for 15 minutes.

While jars sterilize, make jelly: Place all of the peppers into a large saucepan over high heat. Add the vinegar and fruit pectin and bring the mixture up to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Stir in the sugar and return the mixture to a full boil. Boil exactly 2 minutes, continuing to stir constantly. Remove the mixture from the heat and skim off any foam before carefully and quickly ladling the jelly into hot, sterile jars. Fill each jar to within 1/4 inch of its top. Cover each jar with a flat lid and screw on its ring.

Process your jars: Slowly lower the jars with tongs into a large stock pot or canner with a rack or a folded towel inside so the jars do not touch the bottom. Cover the jars with hot water that isn’t boiling (the water depth should be about 2 inches above the top of the jars — and make sure your pot is large enough that it won’t boil over when the water boils). Bring the water to a full boil and process the jars for 5 minutes before removing them with tongs and cooling completely. Hearing the jars pop while they cool is normal — this is the sound they make while they’re sealing!

Store in a cool dark place until you’re ready to serve over crackers with cream cheese, or on hot buttered toast. For best quality, use within a year. Refrigerate jars after opening for up to 1 month.

Oh, good question! I usually start paging through magazines or cookbooks that have really whimsical recipes — to get my imagination moving again. As for dry spells with writing, I find myself looking more and more to the “small stuff” of my everyday life — sometimes tiny events really spark a story in me when I pause to reflect on them.

Hi Julie! I think your blog is lovely and it seems appropriate that being a newcomer here, I’m welcomed by your new blog design. I love how the jar of pepper jelly looks in the first picture- it reminds me of autumn! I’d also like to read more about canning, do you have links to interesting reads on them?

Ooh, great links posted by Teri below. I googled around so much that I wouldn’t say there was one resource I used, but I love this site she posted: http://www.freshpreserving.com/home.aspx. I think if I were going to do more canning, I’d invest in a canner or a bigger stock pot — mine was big enough, but JUST big a hair, so that I had to really watch the water level (or it’d boil over or get too low).

I’m so glad you could share this transition with me, Sumaiyyah! You happened by at just the right time. 😉

Welcome to the world of canning, Julie!!
Sumaiyyah, I always link people to http://www.freshpreserving.com/home.aspx , the home of Ball canning jars. The site has a pretty good rundown of everything you need to know about canning, plus they’re the brand you are most likely to encounter in the stores, so you can get a feel for the products they carry. The second site I send people to (I do a lot of canning, but most people I know aren’t regular preservers) is http://nchfp.uga.edu/index.html, the National Center for Home Food Preservation. They’ve got a ton of information broken down by what type of food preservation you’re looking at, and what type of food you’re preserving! Both sites are great places to get started.

I love pepper jelly! (The green stuff, too!) And I’m fairly new to canning, just two years of sporadic efforts in the kitchen. It’s great fun, really, although like baking, you have to be more careful than with the free-wheeling cooking I love. Nice new look!

Sarah

November 30, 2011 at 2:53 pm (9 years ago)

Hey girl! The new site looks great. Longtime reader, first-time (?) commenter…some while back I was searching for CLT food blogs (since I live here, too), and after stumbling on yours made you a permanent member of my RSS family 🙂 Always enjoy your stories, and the recipes look divine!

Sarah

Denise

November 30, 2011 at 3:12 pm (9 years ago)

Your new website is lovely and this recipe looks like something that would be right up my daughter-in-law’s alley and I wanted to send it to her but I don’t see a button the SHARE the post on Facebook or via some other medium.

BEAUTIFUL web page! I know everyone else has already said the same thing, but I wholly agree! It’s so CLEAN!! and the title at the top is welcoming and professional. I’m so thankful that a little over a year ago I started following you and it is one of the many blessings in my life! Glad the jelly worked out! <3

Julie- your new site looks fantastic. I’ve never made pepper jelly before but it sure is popular in TX and I think yours looks quite festive for this time of year. I bet jars of your jelly would make for good homemade gifts.

Wow it looks great over here, not that you looked bad before, but I think this look suits you. Love the cute header. Pepper jelly is rather addicting, my husband keeps asking for more. Glad you worked through it and canned some, I’m sure you will have a fully stocked pantry of jams soon. Hope you have a great week.
-Gina-

Hallie12409

November 30, 2011 at 4:38 pm (9 years ago)

I was terrified of canning as well until my dad got it into his head that he wanted to make pickles every summer with his HUGE crop of cucumbers. Five years ago, when I was still single and living in my hometown, we started making the BEST pickles of all time (you can tell I mean it because I wrote it in all caps). It’s a little more work than other canning projects, but completely worth it. Even though I’m married and living two hours away, one weekend when I come home in the summer we make our pickles.

Konnie

November 30, 2011 at 10:42 pm (9 years ago)

I used to make this when my children were all living at home. It’s also great as a glaze on pork loin. even better slathered on pork chops or chicken on the grill right before the end of their grilling time.

Congrats on the website design. I am sure there was a lot of behind-the-scenes work to accomplish this. I’m very proud of you for learning how to can. It is easy! I’m on the hunt for a red pepper jelly. This weekend, I hope to experiment for my own version. Ooooooooh, try it with cream cheese. Positively addicting!

Melissa

August 28, 2012 at 11:14 am (8 years ago)

-Just found this recipe via Pinterest (I’m desperate to re-create my grams, and this one Looks exactly like hers did 🙂 One of my favorite ways to eat it is on a pizza; I use leftover cooked pork, a sprinkle of thyme, sauteed red onions and Apples on a Puff pastry with pepper jelly as the sauce and whatever cheese I’ve got handy on top. Super Yummy!

Carol-Bee

August 21, 2017 at 7:43 am (3 years ago)

If you like plain ole pepper jelly, you should try fruit flavored ones! I just got finished making blueberry pepper jelly and last week I made raspberry and blackberry flavored pepper jellies. Today I’ll make peach pepper jelly. They are really more like jams as there are whole fruits in the final outcome. My daughter and I stood at the kitchen island and devoured a half jar of each of the raspberry and blackberry on crackers with cream cheese! So easy to make and no pectin…just a grated apple in each mix for its natural pectin. Oh! And we made tomato jam…great on a hamburger or on meatloaf! Pinterest recipes rock!